[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF MARILYN GIORDANO

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 10, 2009

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Marilyn Giordano, 
a wonderful woman who recently lost her courageous battle with colon 
cancer.
  I came to know Marilyn through her work with the American Vitiligo 
Research Foundation. Vitiligo is a condition in which one's skin loses 
pigment and becomes discolored. It is a disease that can easily destroy 
the spirit of those it afflicts. Marilyn cared passionately about 
people with Vitiligo, especially children who are often not emotionally 
prepared to deal with its psychological affects. Marilyn dedicated her 
life to helping these precious children deal with their condition the 
best they could.
  Marilyn's friend Stella Pavlides, the founder of the American 
Vitiligo Research Foundation, shared with me the courage with which 
Marilyn battled colon cancer. Stella said that Marilyn never lost faith 
that she would survive, refrained from complaining or asking why she 
was going through such an ordeal, and remained optimistic and positive 
until the very end, which came peacefully on April 29. That sounds just 
like the Marilyn I came to know.
  Stella has asked me to become an advocate for raising awareness about 
colon cancer in the days since Marilyn's death. She correctly points 
out that colon cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer in its 
advanced stages, though it also is one of the most treatable in its 
earliest stages. I was pleased that the House passed H. Con. Res 60 
earlier this year, which supports the observance of Colorectal Cancer 
Awareness Month in March and emphasizes the importance of early 
detection and screening of this disease.
  I also recently cosponsored H.R. 1189, the Colorectal Cancer 
Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment Act, which would establish a 
colorectal cancer screening program at the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention and provide grants to states for colorectal cancer 
screening and treatment programs. I believe the House should pass this 
vitally-important bill to improve the detection and treatment of this 
deadly disease.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to honor Marilyn's life 
by passing H.R. 1189 and improving the detection and treatment of this 
disease. Although her earthly life has ended much too soon, I am 
certain that her legacy will live on in the lives that will be saved by 
raising awareness about this treatable but deadly disease, and in the 
children with Vitiligo whose lives she has forever changed for the 
better.

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